2) That vile excretion of a holiday is about to descend upon us in a torrent of consumerism, bad music, worse movies, and smarmy, fake "spirit".

3) I'm mildly sick: an excess of phlegm in my throat and a distinct tenderness in the whatsit tubes. You know, the ones under your ears?

4) I have consumed an excess of cookies and chocolate (all my coworkers got ginormous gift packages from their various vendors), all without my lactase pills.

5) Last night, I yelled at James (cat) and stomped on the floor next to his head, because he wouldn't stop yowling and woke me four times. This morning, I learned that he's going to the vet tomorrow, to die.

6) Work is a nightmare, with a massive deadline just passed and an even more massive one coming in two weeks, and next week I will be the only person in the entire freakin' department not on vacation.